Source:
Edmonton JournalThe third negotiating session of a Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) starts today in Ottawa. Given the negotiations have been going on for over a year, it is surprising that there has been little public discussion given what is at stake for Canada and for Alberta.
The key issue is the scope of the agreement, including the precedents it could set for future trans-Atlantic and North American trade relations. In preliminary negotiations, the scope has gone considerably beyond traditional trade liberalizing factors such as tariff reductions and into areas of deeper economic integration. CETA could have an impact on Canadian regulations, standards, practices and enforcement in a variety of industries exporting to the EU. In many of these areas, EU policies and practices vary considerably from those of Canada and the provinces, and Alberta industries exporting to the EU would have to adapt to the agreement's provisions.
It would appear that in preliminary talks on the agreement, significant progress has been accomplished in a number of trade and investment areas: demand and offer lists were tabled and goals set for eliminating tariffs, entities included in government procurement tenders, investment measures, regulatory co-operation and dispute settlement. Such rapid progress in negotiations is unusual and encouraging. But the devil is in the details, and these details will measure real success.
As pointed out above, the proposed Canada-EU CETA will deal with emerging issues and sectors in international trade far beyond past agreements. The provisions could impact governance practices and institutions, not just current trade and existing constraints. The complexity and the trade-offs required for a successful agreement in the case of the agriculture and food industry serve to illustrate of the issues in other sectors and elements of CETA. A more transparent and informed debate will help reduce public skepticism and the probability of future disappointment.
Read more:
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/opinion/Stakes+high+Alberta+Canada+trade+talks/2923853/story.html
It will be interesting to see if Canada and the EU can work out a trade deal that goes "beyond traditional trade liberalizing factors such as tariff reductions and into areas of deeper economic integration."
Canada and the EU are similar in terms of being progressive, well-regulated societies, but it is still a big step to integrate their economies even more deeply than NAFTA has done between Canada and the US. The EU and Canada are talking about developing common "regulations, standards, practices and enforcement in a variety of industries" rather than just lowering tariffs. That would make the trade between them very fair, since companies on both sides of the Atlantic would be complying with the same laws and regulations. However, it would require some sacrifice of sovereignty since these laws and regulations would developed and enforced by multilateral organizations, not unilaterally by a nation's government.
EU countries have already shown that they are willing to sacrifice some level of sovereignty for the "greater good". In joining the EU they give up controlling their own borders with respect to immigration and trade with other EU countries. It wouldn't be surprising to me if the EU is not more willing to work out such a dramatic trade deal with Canada than Canada is willing to do the same with the EU. Canada, though quite progressive in many ways, hasn't been called upon historically to confront the prospect of deciding to sacrifice some national sovereignty to achieve some public policy goal. It may be more difficult for them than for the Europeans who long ago decided that national sovereignty is a good thing, but not the only, or at times even the most important, thing.
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